Review Detail

Mystery. Hot Boys. Intrigue. All wrapped up in a cool setting. What more do you need? The Archived was a stunning sophomore novel from Victoria Schwab. Eerie and intense, The Archived is one of the best books of the year.

By page 3 I was already drawn into the expert world Victoria Schwab has crafted. It was interesting beyond belief and one of those that really makes you stop and think. The tagline for the book, "Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books." provides the foundation for the world and as soon as you begin reading, you are completely submerged. Two parts mystery paired with quite a bit of paranormal, and some action on the side sums up the brilliant world of The Archived.

The Archived is such an intricately woven story that just glows with the excellence of the prose on the page. The images Victoria Schwab writes are absolutely chilling; they are images that haunt you and will not leave you alone. I loved the format Victoria Schwab chose. Memories that are relevant to the story are placed alongside the chapters, showing more of Mackenzie's past and how she has become the Keeper she is today.

The stakes are high! And they only keep getting higher. By The Archived's end, it was a fast paced scene where one thing after the other simply flew by. Which all wrapped up to the absolutely beautiful ending Victoria Schwab leaves readers with. I am very antsy to see where Victoria Schwab will take readers next, as The Archived was so bewitching and intense. I loved that The Archived is by no means predictable. Every turn came as a complete surprise to me.

The characters were wonderful. Mackenzie is such a complex character. She is juggling so much and really has been doing so since such a young age. Roland was a mystery. One that I could never figure out. And Wesley, I fell for good old Wes right as he walked into the story. He is witty and charming.

I enjoyed Schwab's debut, The Near Witch, but The Archived really blows The Near Witch out of the water. Bigger and better, The Archived will wow readers with its unique story line and strong cast of characters.